Tea ball mesh: woven mesh instead of punched holes
What sets this infuser apart from a standard tea egg is the wall. Instead of a perforated sheet with round holes, it uses woven stainless steel mesh with openings a fraction of a millimetre across. Small particles stay inside: broken leaf, cut herbs, bits of peel. Your tea stays clear and nothing needs fishing out afterwards.
The ball is made of two half-shells joined by a hinge. Squeeze the clamp on the side, the ball springs open, you fill one half and press it shut again. A short chain hangs from the bottom with a hook on the end, so you can rest the ball on the rim of a cup or teapot and lift it out when the tea is ready without scalding your fingers. Stainless steel picks up neither flavour nor smell, so yesterday's smoky herbal blend will not turn up in tomorrow's green tea.
How to use it
- Squeeze the clamp and open the ball.
- Put loose tea or herbs into one half and fill it halfway at most: wet leaf swells considerably and needs room to move.
- Click the ball shut, hang it in your cup or pot by the chain and pour hot water over it.
- Lift it out by the hook when it has steeped and rinse it straight away, which saves scrubbing later.
Which size will I get?
The product data for this item mentions two diameters, 4.5 cm and 7.5 cm. The small one fits an ordinary mug, the large one is meant for a teapot or a sizeable jug. If you are unsure which size you will receive, or which you need, ask customer service before ordering.
Looking after it
Rinse the mesh under the tap after use and let the ball dry open, otherwise moisture sits trapped between the two halves. If residue builds up in the mesh over time, soak it for half an hour in hot water with a dash of cleaning vinegar and brush it out gently. Keep steel wool away from it: that tears the weave, and a hole in the mesh lets through exactly the particles you bought the ball to catch.
Loose herbs and tea at Avalon Magic Plants
Avalon Magic Plants also stocks the Tea egg, the egg-shaped model with round holes for coarser leaf, along with loose herbs that suit this infuser: Chamomile 50 gram (Matricaria Chamomilla), Damiana - Turnera diffusa, Blue lotus - Nymphaea caerulea 10 grams and Passion flower 20 grams - Passiflora incarnata. Everything ships discreetly packed.
